France, South Pacific nations to combat 'predatory' fishing as China extends reach

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that France and South Pacific nations would launch a South Pacific coast guard network to counter "predatory" behavior, which an adviser said was aimed at illegal fishing, as China expands its maritime reach. The United States and allies including France, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, are actively expanding their activity in the Pacific to counter China's influence. Though tiny in land mass, Pacific islands control vast swaths of resource-rich ocean called Exclusive Economic Zones, forming a formidable boundary between the Americas and Asia.

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